I have always loved small model engines and model engineering. When I was 14 or so I bought a model R/C nitro powered buggy. I took it a part and put it back together hundreds of times and probably annoyed my neighbors with it more than anything else. Ok, maybe not the toys I have now, but this sounds like a bug.
What interested me most about it was the size of the engine and how well engineered they can be. I had fun with my nitro engine's and the accompanying trucks, but I wanted to actually build an engine that had more parts and was a little bit more intricate. I got into watching videos on Youtube featuring model steam engines. Once I got enough money to actually order one I decided on the Graham Industries TVR1A twin cylinder marine engine. It came well packaged and was difficult to assemble. It has over 175 parts and many of which are very very small. Here it is all assembled. I cant wait to be able to run it when my boiler comes shortly.
Since I got my PS3 last week, I have been dieing to try it out with an HD connection. I picked up a HDMI cable, and tried it out. Wow the picture is night and day difference between 480i and 1080p. Even on a small 20" lcd it looks amazing. The way I have my desk set up does not allow for me to watch tv or play any games while I am in bed. Slightly an inconvenience because it means I always have to be at my desk. While I do enjoy having the tv always be in viewing distance. I do also like to watch from bed.
The prices on Tv's have come down drastically since I looked last. You can get a 58" plasma for under $2000. Insanely good deals in this economy! As soon as I saw that I decided that I could not go any lower. Anything smaller than 58" will seem to small for me after I have already seen how good it would look on my wall.
I am considering a Samsung. This one specifically. Im worried about some of the reviews as them mention the tv having a HUM that can be somewhat audible. I still haven't decided if this is in my range yet, but I will find a way to make it work
I had a break down recently, and also the oppurtunity to get a brand new ps3 slim for only $150. I wanted to experience blu ray and see if it lives up to all the hype, and $150 for a blu ray player/ps3 is too good to pass up. Opening the box it came in reminded me of that first system I got, NES. It was fun to open, and the box is small and nicely packed. Upon first start up it reminded me of the PS2. It took forever to get my PSN account set up, and updated the firmware. Then I realized I had no games to play and no movies to watch. I sure as hell am not going to watch a movie on a small 20" LCD that displays at 480i. WTF! How come sony is still shipping the system without any kind of HD cables?
I am now forced to get this TV I have been looking at...There is no reason for me to even bother getting a game to play on this shitty resolution! One thing I did notice was the size of the ps3 is much closer to the ps2 in height and width. It is also much quieter than any of my other systems, however I haven't put a disc in yet!
s I just got the Princeton Tec LED Headlamp today. So far it seems great. I had been looking for a decent headlamp for about a week or so. I had been doing some night biking around town and had to borrow one from a friend. His was ok. It had 4 small LED's, I want to say they were 5mm's. This headlamp has a massive 3w LED in the center and 4 smaller 5mm LED's surrounding it. The extra LED's give some extra ambient environment light. All I have for a camera is my terribad iPhone. Sigh, Really need to pick up a DSLR so I can do some HDR photography. This light was $69.99 at Campmor. Really great deal. I'll review the two other things I purchased from there. I'm the biggest internet shopper around, and surprisingly they had the best prices on these things. They even beat Amazon. I tried taking a picture testing it. It's really hard to gauge these things, but my god this light has incredible throw. The picture has to be at least 25 feet away, and it completely illulminates the whole backyard!
The box says the battery life is 150 hours. I think that's on low mode on the surrounding LED's. It takes 4 AA batteries. They sit in a container on the back of your head. The headband is tight and feels comfortable when worn, and very solid even when biking. I have no worries at all about this falling off, granted I don't wear a helmet:(. The 3w main LED is too bright to be used all the time. Before I can get in a real riding session I plan on using the surrounding LED's and that should be sufficient, there are many street lights.
Overall, for $69.99 this is a headlamp you should definitely check out. I should add that its waterproof to 1m so don't worry about the rain!
Preface:This process only works on GSM model phones(At&t, T-Mobile). Do not attempt to do this to CDMA Phones (Verizon, Sprint). These Instructions must be followed in this exact order, with the correct versions of the software supplied in the Blackberry folder, otherwise this will not work.
Step 1.) Begin by installing the BlackBerry Desktop Manager. I have supplied version 4.7 It seems to work the best. The newest version of this software was not working correctly.
Step 2.) Install Microsoft’s .Net Framework. The unlocking program needs this to run. Odds are you already have it, but run the included file anyway to make sure.
Step 3.) You need to have the Blackberry Operating System Flashfile for the phone you intend to unlock Installed on your computer. This may not be necessary, And may be removed from future revisions of this guide. For the time being just run the included software for the phone you plan on unlocking. Versions 8100, 8110, and 8310 are included.
Step 4.) Install MFI Multiloader. It is in the MML Setup 1.1.8.3 Folder. Do not run it yet.
Step 5.) Navigate to the MFI multiloader install directory. It should be C:\MML . Next you want to go to the supplied Blackberry folder and open the MML Copy Files Folder. It will have a folder inside called MML. Copy and paste this folder to the c:\ directory. The root of the C drive.You will be overwriting some files so if it asks you if its ok, just click ok. We want to replace those files. If it doesn’t ask you, You did not do something right.
Step 6.) Open the MML Config File Folder, copy and paste Configuration.xml to C:\MML\Configuration.This enables you to use MFI Multiloader while still connected to the internet. Otherwise you will need to disable your internet connection, a real hassle.
Step 7.) Delete the vendor.xml file located in c:\program files\common files\research in motion\apploader
With those steps completed we can get to unlocking!
Step 8.) Make sure the Blackberry is not plugged into the computer. Double click on the MFI Multiloader icon on your desktop.
Step 9.) Make sure that your window looks like the one above. You need to tick the two boxes Full Erase, and Auto Start
Step 10.) Make sure the Blackberry device is turned on before you plug it into the computer.Plug it in and wait. The software will immediately begin to erase the OS of the phone. All you need to do is wait for the box to change from BUSY to PASS.
Step 11.) If it passed, the screen of the device should display a large 1 in the upper left hand corner. Disconnect the device and type S T A R T into the phone using the keypad. If entered correctly the screen should change and say “No Application Linked (Factory OS)”. This is Good.
Step12.) Close MFI Multiloader and plug your phone back into the computer.Run The apploader from c:\Program Files\Common Files\Research in Motion\Apploader.exe and reinstall your OS. You are good to go now!
These plants have seen little if any progress at all. They are still so very very slow. They haven't grown passed two inches. The tomato plant has really gone to town. The roots are really big and thick and are already in the water. Ill try to get a picture up. In the meantime I'll try to catch everyone up on some cool new toys.
